Crystal Palace vs Arsenal – Match Preview
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Compared to last season Crystal Palace have had a decent start, but then you remember that in their first seven fixtures of the 2017/18 they had not even scored a goal to go along side a defeat in each of those games.
And although things could not be as bad as that, they could still be a lot better for Roy Hodgson especially as the Eagles are seriously struggling in front of goal at present. This first quarter of the Premier League season has seen them find the net on just five occasions.
The former England boss Hodgson has tried a number of different options in attack this season but is yet to find a real winning formula, something he will hope he can find as he prepares for the visit of high flying Arsenal.
The Gunners have won seven Premier League matches in a row and are currently the form team in the division, what is interesting is the fact that each of these wins has seen them drawing at half time.
This perhaps shows a couple of things, one is that they are slow to get out of the blocks are still susceptible to conceding, while the other shows that they have a fighting spirit towards the end and more importantly a plan b if things aren’t necessarily going their way.
This is exactly what happened on Monday when Unai Emery bought Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the bench, the Gabonese forward scored twice in three second half minutes as the Gunners wrapped up a comeback win over Leicester.
Aubameyang may have got the majority of the goals for Arsenal, but at the same time it is fair to say that the plaudits after the game where going in the direction of his teammate Mesut Ozil. Monday night saw the German international have without question his best performance of the season.
If he can turn in a showing like that on a more consistent basis, then it could well be the difference between this new look Arsenal side being considered real bona fide title contenders then opposed to mere also rans.
They will look to extend their Premier League winning streak to eight matches on Sunday when they make the short trip across the capital to face another of their crosstown rivals and with that in mind they will be hoping for the same kind of success that they had in their previous London derby.
That was when they went to Fulham before the international break and served up a second half attacking masterclass. One that saw them score four unanswered strikes, as they marched on to a resounding 5-1 away win.
Arsenal are in bullish mood at present and if it all clicks for them at Selhurst Park like it did at Craven Cottage then it could well be a very long afternoon for Crystal Palace, especially with their issues in front of goal. All signs look like pointing to a comfortable away win.
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